Speaking in Belém, Brazil, the capital of the Amazon rainforest and the venue of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Deborah Barasa, drew strong recognition from delegates after firmly making clear Africa’s intention at the climate conference.
“Africa arrived at COP30 with clarity and with urgency,” she said in her opening statement.
“We are the Continent least responsible for this crisis, yet we face its harshest consequences. Droughts, floods, and extreme heat have become part of the daily lives of millions of our people, eroding development gains and straining the very foundations of our economies.”
It is her framing of climate impacts and gaps from the bottom up, ensuring the message was not Kenyan-centric but representative of a united continental position, that resonated strongly among delegates.
Her delivery echoed the outcomes of the second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, where African leaders sought coherence in presenting shared demands to the global community.
Describing the Amazon as “a living symbol of what humanity risks losing and what we must fight to protect,” she drew a clear connection between the accelerating threats facing the rainforest and the escalating climate shocks confronting Kenya and the wider African region.
She spoke of communities already contending with loss and damage, of livelihoods disrupted, and of resources stretched thin as adaptation needs rise sharply.
In calling for climate finance reforms, Dr. Barasa reminded delegates that Africa’s experience is not theoretical. She underscored that climate impacts are “the lived reality of a continent already in the eye of the storm.”
For that reason, Africa continued to call for formal recognition of its special needs and special circumstances, “not as a plea for sympathy,” she stressed, “but as a call for equity and fairness.” Turning to the Global Goal on Adaptation, she insisted that the goal could not remain vague or aspirational.
Africa, she noted, requires a clear framework with measurable indicators, covering resilient infrastructure, food systems, health, ecosystem protection, gender equality, and the inclusion of marginalised communities.
She repeated Africa’s alignment with the demand by developing countries, including the least developed countries (LDCs), for a tripling of adaptation finance.
Dr. Barasa also highlighted the importance of technology in Africa’s climate transformation.
She spoke of barriers that hinder access to essential low-carbon technologies and urged countries to support the Technology Implementation Programme, invest in regional innovation hubs, and address intellectual-property constraints.
Africa, she said plainly, “cannot remain a consumer of imported solutions.”
Her message remained consistent: Africa seeks partnership, fairness, and the resources required to deliver climate action on the ground, and expects COP30 to move decisively in that direction.
